Property Master PlansSauk Prairie State Recreation Area

The Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area, located in southeastern Sauk County, consists of a portion of the decommissioned Badger Army Ammunition Plant (BAAP). The property has a natural and human history that is significant on many scales. The former BAAP is, or will be, primarily owned by three parties: DNR (3,400 acres), Ho-Chunk Nation (1,600 acres) and Dairy Forage Research Center (2,100 acres), approximate acreages. Our master planning process focuses on the DNR-designated acreage.

Master Planning update

The revised draft master plan and final environmental impact statement for the Sauk Prairie State Recreation Area is now available for public review. We will present this document to the Natural Resources Board at their December 14, 2016 meeting in Madison. Please visit the Natural Resources Board web page for additional information including the meeting agenda and public participation guidelines.

Planning documents

Note: Appendices B, C and E are not presented here. These appendices contain location information from the Natural Heritage Inventory (NHI) database regarding endangered resources. This database contains information on the location, status, distribution, and condition of rare species and high-quality natural communities in Wisconsin, including threatened and endangered species. Generalized information is available by township regarding what rare species and high-quality natural communities have been documented in a given town and range, with the exception of select species highly vulnerable to exploitation. Due to the sensitive nature of the NHI data, detailed information, including the location of rare species at finer scales, is specifically exempt from the Wisconsin Open Records Law [s. 23.27(3b), Wis. Stats.]. This exemption applies to NHI data or excerpts of NHI data in any form, format, or version. Data sharing is accomplished in a manner that safeguards the resources and promotes proper interpretation of the data. See more information on access to NHI data.

The DNR takes a rigorous approach to assessing and conserving rare species and high-quality natural communities in the master planning process. Staff from the Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation program conduct field surveys on properties prior to master planning and incorporate all available data on rare species into the Rapid Ecological Assessment. As part of the assessment, staff describe and delineate primary sites, principally based on populations of rare species as well as high-quality natural communities with potential to harbor rare species. This and other information is incorporated into the development of the property master plan. A representative of the Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation is on the master plan development team.

A summary of the major themes the department heard from the public on the preliminary 2015 draft master plan and environmental impact statement, and the department's responses, is found in Chapter VI (page 183).

2015 Draft Master Plan

The department released a preliminary draft master plan and environmental impact statement on August 11, 2015. A public comment period for that document ran from August 11 to September 25, 2015. In addition, we held a public open house on September 10, 2015. All comments received during the public review period are posted here in their entirely. We've prepared a document briefly summarizing the feedback received.

Preliminary 2015 draft master plan and environmental impact statement

Changes were made to the preliminary 2015 draft document based on comments received during the public comment period to create the revised 2016 draft master plan and final environmental impact statement

The draft master plan and environmental impact statement is a large document. It is available to download in its entirety or in portions.

Response to questions [PDF] on the cleanup and master planning efforts for Sauk Prairie Recreation Area submitted to the Department of Natural Resources by Representative Fred Clark and Senator Jon Erpenbach

Excavating contaminated soil from the Final Creek, settling ponds and spoils disposal areas of the former Badger Army Ammunition Plant and disposing of it in an approved landfill has been determined as the best clean-up alternative for ensuring that the health of even the most sensitive human populations is protected once Sauk Prairie Recreation Area is open to the public.

The final determination includes results of a study by the state Department of Health Services that examined potential human health risks associated with consumption of wild game harvested from this area of Badger. The study found that regular consumption of wild game from the area is not expected to pose a human health hazard.

Public comments received on the proposed clean-up strategy with responses are also available.

Contact

Your comments are important so please consider coming to meetings, mailing in comments or calling us. We welcome your feedback on the property management goals and master planning issues throughout the process.

For informaton or questions related to the draft master plan, contact: